AFTER almost a year of orchestrating several scams and conning unsuspecting citizens, it appears that Trinidadian con artist Daniel Ali is still on the loose in Guyana, parade at leisure and pouncing repeatedly on innocent, unsuspecting individuals.

After this newspaper had broken several stories on the man’s illegal practises, he had somehow managed to elude local police ranks and continue scamming persons around Guyana of cash, jewellery, laptops, cellular phones, and other items.

When, earlier this year, police intensified their search for the ‘confidence trickster’, he had reportedly sought refuge with the relatives of an accomplice in Black Bush Polder, Corentyne; but they had eventually kicked him out and held on to all his household appliances. Thereafter, he had seemed to disappear from existence.

He resurfaced a few weeks ago, and managed to cunningly relieve a male from the East Coast of Demerara, whom he had befriended, of a brand new lap top and a substantial amount of cash.

Just recently, the victim, after seeing several stories on the Internet about Ali, contacted this publication. He was very embarrassed and asked that his identification be kept anonymous.

The man noted that, not so long ago Ali, who is said to be a homosexual male, befriended him at an Internet website, and the two quickly became friends. The man said that he soon began to trust Ali, and lent him cash, since he said he was awaiting ‘some money from relatives in Trinidad’.

He said Ali subsequently asked to borrow his brand new laptop, and cunningly disappeared from sight with it when he was not being observed.

Our informant told this newspaper that Ali is now travelling to Suriname from Guyana, and has already committed similar acts in that country. He said the con man managed to steal the birth certificate of another friend, which he has reportedly used to get the Guyanese passport he uses to travel to Suriname. The man informed that Ali is using the name of the owner of the birth certificate, but has his (Ali’s) photograph in the passport instead. The man’s story was supported by a few friends and relatives.

This reporter, last week, contacted several locals who had also been conned by Ali, and they all sputtered with rage to think that, until now, the police are unable to capture this marauding con artist.

Alex Lawson, from whom he conned $30,000, was very vehement about his distaste for the inability of the police to capture the culprit.
“That is a horrible man, and if I catch him I would give him a beating he never forgets…How the police are unable to catch him totally beats me…. And the fact that he has now launched his evil attack on residents in Suriname makes me even angrier…He robbed me $30,000 pretending that he could assist me with accommodation in Trinidad, and I fell for it…It’s a good thing I did not pay him the full amount he wanted. That as a down payment….when I called Chronicle and they printed the story, he called me two days after and promised to pay back the cash. I received it in two separate payments, and it was delivered to me by a strange man…”

Guyanese designer Olympia Small-Sonoram was furious that Ali has not as yet been held by the police, since he had conned her of over $100,000. “Wait, dem ain’t catch that hooligan yet? Somebody needs to do something about this man. How dare him come here and continue to rob innocent Guyanese, who work so very hard for their money.”

Ali had befriended Sonoram through a friend, and had actually bought a few of her designs before turning up one day telling her a solemn story about his lover mistreating him and leaving him on the streets. He begged her to lend him a large sum of money, promising to leave his Trinidadian passport and other valuable documents as security until he returned to repay the loan.

The amount was given to him in sympathy, and Sonoram, being busy with clients, did not check the contents of the bag Ali had handed to her until sometime later. She was shocked to realise that the bag contained only face powder, lipstick, eye shadow and lots of old newspapers folded together. By that time the man had already disappeared.

Mr Butch, a businessman at Uitvlugt Public Road, expressed dismay when contacted. “Wait, yuh mean dem ain’t catch that wicked man yet? What really going on wid dem police today? Like this man does disappear when the police arrive or what? Till now he owe me tons ah cash in rent for my bottom flat he had rented to do a catering business.”

The businessman said Ali and an accomplice had rented his bottom flat to do catering, and he had noticed them driving several shiny cars. He said after a while police arrested his accomplice and held him at Lenora before releasing him on bail. He has never returned to the police as instructed after he was bailed and it is presumed he is hiding out at relatives in Black Bush Polder.
Ali and his accomplice were wanted by the police for selling several cars they rented from various dealers. As the ‘water became hot’ they disappeared from their location at Uitvlugt and police at Brickdam missed capturing the two when they rented an apartment at a guest house in Eccles.
During their stay in Uitvlught they had reportedly credited large amounts of alcoholic beverages from various beverage outlets on the West Bank of Demerara, and those persons have not been paid to date.
It is also known that a woman who worked at a popular hotel on the Westside actually opened a bank account in her name to secure the cash Ali and his accomplice got from their illegal orchestrations.
A Chinese restaurant owner from the East Bank of Demerara was also reportedly conned by the Trinidadian, while a market vendor was also outsmarted of his S6 cellular phone and cash.

By Alex Wayne